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[Page: H7133]  GPO's PDF
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   Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 567) recognizing the importance of surface transportation infrastructure to interstate and international commerce and the traveling public and the contributions of the trucking, rail, and passenger transit industries to the economic well being of the United States, as amended.

   The Clerk read as follows:

   H. Res. 567

   Whereas prior to 1890, the United States lacked a holistic, intermodal surface transportation system that linked rural towns and farmland to urban areas and cities for the purposes of travel and interstate commerce;

   Whereas the emergence of the automobile and truck after 1900 created a public demand and economic need for improved roads, highways , and byways;

   Whereas the United States transportation construction industry has built 3,900,000 miles of roadways, 200,000 miles of freight and passenger railroad track, and 5,800 miles of mass transit track with more than 2,300 stations;

   Whereas the construction of roads and highways requires the skills of numerous occupations, including those in the contracting, engineering, planning and design, materials supply, manufacturing, distribution, and safety industries;

   Whereas by 2020 the number of registered vehicles in the United States is expected to grow from 225,000,000 to about 275,000,000, requiring improvements to roads and highways ;

   Whereas the industries which design, construct, and maintain roads and highways generate $200,000,000,000 for the economy annually and sustain about 2,200,000 jobs;

   Whereas the advent of the truck, and technological advances expanding its cargo capacity, dramatically increased the ability of the United States to transport goods more quickly and efficiently;

   Whereas the trucking industry had $606,000,000,000 in gross freight revenues, representing 87.5 percent of the Nation's freight bill in 2000;

   Whereas intercity trucks logged 1,093,000,000 ton-miles in 1999, representing almost 30 percent of the total domestic intercity ton-miles logged by all modes;

   Whereas commercial trucks consumed more than 44,000,000,000 gallons of fuel and paid $30,500,000,000 in Federal and State highway-user taxes in 1999;

   Whereas by 2013 the total number of commercial trucks will increase by a third, from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000;

   Whereas there were 3,090,000 truck drivers in 2000 and 9,900,000 employed throughout the United States economy in jobs that relate to the trucking industry in 1999;

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   Whereas trucks transported more than 83 percent of the value of trade between the United States and Mexico and more than 73 percent between the United States and Canada in 1999;

   Whereas prior to the development of a national system of roads and highways for automobiles and trucks, the railway system served as the primary mode of interstate travel for the American public and facilitated goods movement throughout the United States;

   Whereas America's freight railroads carry more than 40 percent of the Nation's intercity freight, including approximately 70 percent of vehicles from domestic manufacturers and more than 65 percent of the Nation's coal to coal-fired plants;

   Whereas railroads in the United States originated nearly 33,000,000 carloads of freight, including more than 9,000,000 intermodal trailers and containers, and had a freight volume of 1,530,000,000,000 ton-miles in 2000;

   Whereas on average it costs 29 percent less to move freight by rail in 2000 than it did in 1981 and 59 percent less in inflation-adjusted dollars;

   Whereas from 1980 to 2001 Class I freight railroads invested more than $290,000,000,000 to maintain and improve infrastructure and equipment and reduced the number of train accidents per million train-miles by 64 percent;

   Whereas the railroad industry employed more than 230,000 workers in 2001, including engineers, conductors, clerks, executives, and maintenance workers;

   Whereas railways and railroads move people and commodities in an efficient way and contribute more than $30,000,000,000 to the economy through wages, fringe benefits, purchases, and taxes;

   Whereas intercity buses provided passenger and package express service to over 4,000 communities nationwide, most of which have no other form of public intercity transportation;

   Whereas intercity buses carry over 770,000,000 passengers annually and provide a variety of services, including fixed-route, charter and tour, airport express, and long-haul commutes;

   Whereas intercity buses provide an integral link in the intermodal network serving airports, train stations, and transit hubs throughout the Nation;

   Whereas the public transportation system in the United States includes buses, trolley-buses, vanpools, jitneys, heavy railways, light railways, commuter railways, cable cars, monorails, aerial tramways, and ferryboats;

   Whereas Americans used public transportation a record 9,500,000,000 times in 2001 and transit ridership has grown 23 percent since 1995;

   Whereas public expenditures to operate, maintain, and invest in public transportation systems in America amount to about $23,500,000,000 each year;

   Whereas there are more than 360,000 transit employees who work to operate, maintain, and manage America's public transportation system;

   Whereas public transit helps to reduce vehicular traffic congestion on roads and highways and leads to cleaner air;

   Whereas public transit continues to be one of the safest modes of travel and helps conserve energy and reduce America's dependency on foreign oil; and

   Whereas public transit has provided the elderly and millions of Americans with disabilities expanded mobility and freedom to travel United States: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the transportation construction, trucking, railroad, intercity bus, and passenger transit industries, and those professionals who design, operate, build, and maintain the rights of way along which trucks, freight trains, buses, and commuter trains travel--

    (1) for the immense contribution they make to the economy by facilitating international and interstate commerce;

    (2) for their contribution to the freedom of the traveling public which uses roads, highways , and railways for the purposes of business and leisure; and

    (3) for their conscientious effort to improve safety, increase efficiency, and better the environment in communities throughout the United States.

   The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.

   The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette).

   GENERAL LEAVE

   Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 567, as amended.

   The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio?

   There was no objection.

   Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all time allotted to me be allotted to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller), and I further ask unanimous consent that he be permitted to yield time from that time.

   The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio?

   There was no objection.

   Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

   I rise today in support of House Res. 567, ``Recognizing the importance of surface transportation infrastructure to interstate and international commerce and the traveling public and the contributions of the transportation construction, trucking, rail, intercity bus and passenger industries to the economic well being of the United States.''

   On October 1, I introduced this bill, along with 11 of my colleagues, to show the Congress's gratitude to the men and women who continue to provide America with an efficient and reliable transportation system.

   Mr. Speaker, this bill recognizes the vital role the transportation construction, trucking, rail, intercity bus and passenger transit industries play in the United States' economic well-being.

   The trucking industry alone has transported more than 83 percent of the volume traded between the U.S. and Mexico, and more than 73 percent between the U.S. and Canada in 1999. There are now 6 million commercial trucks, and that number will increase to 8 million by 2013. Between the growing number of trucks and the fact that the registered vehicles are expected to increase from 225 million to 275 million by 2020, we are fortunate to have such an efficient and reliable transportation construction industry.

   The transportation construction industry sustains 2.2 million jobs and has provided us with 3.9 million miles of roadway. America's freight railroads are responsible for carrying 70 percent of the vehicles from domestic manufacturers. America's freight railroads also carry more than 40 percent of the Nation's intercity freight. While the rail industry has met the growing economic demand, it has also lowered the cost of moving freight by 29 percent since 1981. Public train ridership has also grown by 23 percent since 1995.

   Public transit also plays a significant role in providing added convenience to Americans' lives. Public transit as a whole helps to reduce vehicular traffic congestion on roads and highways and leads to cleaner air. Intercity buses alone carry over 770 million passengers a year. In 2000, the total public expenditures to operate, maintain, and invest in public transportation systems reached $23.5 billion.

   Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the surface transportation infrastructure community for the immense contributions they have made at both an economic and societal level. The surface transportation community has continually bettered the transport of goods and services and facilitated transit for the traveling public.

   I would like to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and their staffs for the hard work they have given on this measure. I know I speak on behalf of Congress when I commend the hard-working men and women in the surface transportation industry who are continually giving their services to provide America with a reliable transportation network.

   Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

   Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

   I rise in support of H. Res. 567, as amended, that recognizes the significance of the surface transportation infrastructure to interstate and international commerce and the traveling public and recognizes the contributions of the trucking, rail, intercity bus and passenger transit industries to the economic well-being of the United States. As the Nation moves toward a more competitive global economy, the state of our surface transportation infrastructure increases in importance. The investments made in the Nation's transportation infrastructure also provide good family wage-paying jobs and contributes significantly to the Nation's health.

   Throughout the 107th Congress, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has worked diligently to advocate adequate funding for transportation programs.

   Mr. Speaker, I cannot stand here in praise of surface transportation without drawing to the attention of the

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   Mr. Speaker, the emergency is now upon us, and it is upon us hot and heavy. The Committee on Appropriations has just denied Amtrak's request for $1.2 billion that is necessary to keep the full system running. Instead, they appropriated $762 million. Now, this amount, and here I am bringing to the floor what the Department of Transportation Inspector General says, is not enough to continue current operations, which he sets at $1.2 billion. This appropriation went down on a straight party line vote.

   Now, understand what we have done. These folks say they must have $1.2 billion to continue the intercity railway transportation of the United States, which criss-crosses this country. We have cut it by one-third. I am going to take my time to indicate what that one-third means and what districts in this House are going to wake up without railway transportation if we leave it that way.

   This amount is less than one-half of the funding for the entire national network of passenger rail transportation that is now in place. What it means, I say to my colleagues, is this: that in order to get down to this $150 million, which is all that would be allowed to be spent in 2003, 13 of the 18 long-distance train routes would have to go. That is 2.3 million riders. Let me be more specific, because I want to find out, well, how does that break out when we get down to brass tacks. How it breaks out is this, listen for our cities, because these are the cities that are going to be without national intercity passenger rail travel: Dallas, Denver, New Orleans, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Atlanta, Little Rock, Pittsburgh, and Houston. They would lose all passenger service. I am here to sound the alarm. I have not named Washington, D.C., but I believe I must bring to the attention of my colleagues the rollcall I just went through who is in fact in danger.

   The administration, despite its study after study, has come forward with absolutely no Federal plan. Instead, it sends the railroad to two sources, one is the private sector. Are we kidding? Do we know why there is an Amtrak? Because the private sector went broke and said to the Federal Government, if you do not take over passenger service, there is not going to be any. There would not be any Amtrak if the private sector could do it unsubsidized. Okay, said the administration, then go to the States. That is even more outrageous, more distressing. Every State in the Union is facing a horrific deficit, every State in the Union. They are running the worst deficits in a generation, and that is because of the sad state of the national economy, not because of anything the States have done. So we are sending them to the States?

   The Dow Jones was at a 5-year low today, I say to my colleagues. Check it out. Today it was at a 5-year low. What does that tell us about the national economy? What does that tell us about going to the States to save Amtrak? The States will tell us, at the very least, I gave at the office, because the States have already contributed $1 billion. Where is our contribution of $1 billion?

   The administration came forward with something called the Amtrak Reform Council. Oh, how misnamed can an entity be. They have indeed studied the issue, and then they studied it again and they are still studying it. No plan, still. That is a bankrupt strategy; and, I say to my colleagues, if we go home with a third of the amount Amtrak needs cut, we will have a bankrupt railroad system when we return. I do not even want to get into what this means to the economies of certain sections of the country, like the Mid-Atlantic States, the Northeast, and certainly the Midwest States that are going to lose all service.

   We subsidize every major form of transportation. I sit on the Subcommittee on Aviation. We just came forward with another subcommittee bill to help aviation out just last week. Thank goodness we give millions to buses and Metro, to roads. That is in our tradition, and I am glad of it. Do we really expect to provide passenger service in the 21st century in our country completely unsubsidized? If so, we would be the only self-supporting rail system in the world. We are not nearly that good, nor is any other society.

   Mr. Speaker, we may be the only world economic power in the world today, but if we do not take action before the 107th Congress closes, we will be a second-class transportation power without a fully operating rail system. It would do irreparable harm to our transportation system and to our country to let Amtrak sink. We must do more than pass cosmetic resolutions such as the one we pass today. I ask my colleagues to help me and to help ourselves to save the Nation's passenger railroad system.

• [Begin Insert]

   Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 567, which recognizes the importance of surface transportation infrastructure to interstate and international commerce and the traveling public, and recognizes the contributions of the trucking, rail, and passenger transit industries to the economic well being of the United States.

   The Nation's surface transportation industries, and the workers they employ, have made immense contributions to the quality of life in our communities, the nation's economy, and our competitiveness in the world marketplace. Each day, the American people and American businesses benefit from reduced travel times, increased productivity, and improved safety as a result of their efforts.

   Throughout our Nation's history, economic growth, prosperity, and opportunity have followed from the development and operation of the Nation's infrastructure. From the ``internal improvements'' of the early 1800s--such as canals, locks, and roads--to the Interstate Highway System of today, infrastructure improvements have been the foundation of our economic growth. To take just one example, between 1980 and 1991, almost one-fifth of the increase in productivity in the U.S. economy was attributable to investment in highways .

   Our Nation's highways , transit and rail systems not only provide the backbone of our economy by moving people and goods, they also employ millions of workers and generate a significant share of total economic output. In 1999, transportation-related goods and services generated 11 percent of our total Gross Domestic Product.

   In addition to facilitating economic growth, our transportation system has a significant impact on the daily lives of nearly all Americans. Americans rely on safe and efficient modes of transportation in their day-to-day activities. The average household spends about 18 percent of it income on transportation, more than any other expense except housing.

   Surface transportation industries, and the workers they employ, have accomplished a great deal. But their work is not finished. We hope their achievements will inspire a renewed dedication to keeping America's transportation system the finest in the world.

• [End Insert]

   Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

   Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

[Time: 19:45]

   The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Flake). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 567, as amended.

   The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.

   The title was amended so as to read: ``Resolution recognizing the importance of surface transportation infrastructure to interstate and international commerce and the traveling public and the contributions of the trucking, rail, intercity bus, and passenger transit industries to the economic well-being of the United States.''.

   A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[Page: H7136]  GPO's PDF

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